The Power of a Good Outline
This 6-week workshop series with BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and author, Anthony Mullins, will introduce you to the power of story outlines, be it for planning, problem solving, analysis or pitching. Whether you're writing a novel, a screenplay, or a play, an outline can give you the ability to see the big picture and remember why you wanted to write this story in the first place.
Dates: 6:00-8:00pm (AEST), Thursdays 17 September - 22 October 2026. This is a 6-week program. See Program Outline below for the dates of all sessions in this program.
Delivery: Online
Fees: $995 or $945 for Varuna Alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront
Applications close: 5:00pm AEST, Tuesday 11 August 2026
Places: 8 participants will be selected (small group)
“Nobody knows story structure like Anthony Mullins. His workshop challenged and enlivened my understanding of character through teaching that can be applied to the narrative of any type of storytelling, from screen to prose. Every writer should do Anthony’s courses (and read his brilliant book)!”
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Keeping track of a story is really hard. All those characters, all their individual traits, their narrative arcs, the plot developments, the twists, the turns, the themes! It's a lot to keep in your head and it's even harder to describe it to someone else.
A good outline can help. Not just when you're planning your story, but also as you're writing it, or when you've become lost and need to see the big picture again, or when you've finished and you need to pitch it to a potential publisher. A good outline allows you to "zoom out" and describe the essential elements of your story, its premise, its characters, its themes, and what makes it unique.
Using the well-known, but often misunderstood, concept of character arcs, award-winning writer and course leader Anthony Mullins will show you how to identify the essential elements of your story and how to communicate them in an engaging 3-4 page outline that captures everything you wanted to say.
Using case studies, class exercises and student presentations, this six week course will involve you drafting and presenting a full outline of your story and presenting it for discussion and feedback.
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17 September, Session 1:
Course introduction
Why outline?
Introduction to Character Arcs - the heart of a good outline
24 September, Session 2:
The elements of an outline
Creating an outline using character arcs
1 October, Session 3:
Outline challenge #1: Non-linear
Workshop
8 October, Session 4:
Outline challenge #2: Ensemble
Workshop
15 October, Session 5:
Outline challenge #3: Minimalist
Workshop
22 October, Session 6:
Outline challenge #4: Tune-up your outline
Workshop
Course wrap up
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Anthony Mullins is a BAFTA and AWGIE award winning screenwriter, author and playwright. The projects Anthony has written and directed have won numerous international awards including a Primetime Emmy, an International Digital Emmy, two BAFTAs and five Australian Writer’s Guild awards. In 2022, Anthony’s play, The Norman Mailer Anecdote, was a finalist in the Queensland Premier’s Drama Awards and was long-listed for The Griffin Award. His award winning book on screenwriting from New South Publishing has so far been released in Australia, the UK, Canada, the United States, China, and South Korea.
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“Anthony Mullins’ workshop is both fascinating and inspiring. His structural process is incredibly useful and I often use his steps to map out my own story arcs and encourage my workshop students to do the same.”
— Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain, Sunbirds and The Fish Girlnd“I’m an author, not a screenwriter, but I have found Anthony Mullins’s approach to structure inspiring and extremely practical. He helped me work through some plot issues when I was writing Nightingale. Anthony has an inclusive, generous and wise approach; he is very keen to understand an individual’s project and he offers astute observations and targeted suggestions.”
— Laura Elvery, author of Ordinary Matter and Trick of the Light“In his hugely engaging book, Anthony Mullins breaks down an extraordinary array of films, unveiling new analytical tools that are insightful, practical and, best of all, that just might inspire you to write something genuinely original.”
— Michael Lucas (creator/writer of The Newsreader, Five Bedrooms and Party Tricks) -
Entry to this course is by application. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with your peers, and the balance in the group.
Course fees are $995 or $945 for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Applications close at 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday 11 August 2026. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission by 31 August.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 or email amy@varuna.com.au to discuss your application.
UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS
